Chapter 80: 67 - Inevitability
"Alright, I’ll do it."
The words sounded steady, firm, without a hint of doubt. A simple sentence, yet it carried a weight that left me speechless. As if I—Azalea—had to admit that I trusted Kairi, even though half my heart couldn’t forgive her yet.
I nodded slowly, turned, and was about to leave the room.
But before I could take a few steps, something stopped me.
She clasped my hand.
"What is it?" I asked somewhat sharply, more out of surprise than anger.
"Azalea..." Kairi looked at me intently. Not a piercing gaze, but sharp like glass: fragile, yet clear and painful.
"Do you really want to go there without knowing what will happen if you make even the slightest mistake?"
I snorted, feeling a little confused.
"Are you looking for death?"
However, my bluster was met with a subtle but terrifying threat.
Kairi’s gaze deepened, darkened.
I spontaneously shook my head, my body trembling. I had just realized... that behind her small body and fragile face, Kairi could be incredibly frightening when she was serious.
"Let’s discuss this properly," she said. Her tone was now firmer, more authoritative.
There were no more tears. No more sobs.
Yet, just a few minutes ago, she was still sobbing and begging for help.
I sighed, then walked closer to her. Kairi wasn’t just the best 2nd Class mage.
She was—somehow—someone who managed to make me feel small.
"You too, troublemaker professor," Kairi said, turning to Helena.
Helena, who had been sitting quietly, was startled to hear that address. However, since her legs couldn’t be fully moved, she could only drag herself closer to Kairi’s bed.
"So here’s the thing," Kairi began the core conversation. "I know that place is in the basement, as Selene said. But she didn’t tell me its exact location."
I narrowed my eyes. "Helena, do you know where the Artifact Storage Room is?"
Helena was silent for a moment. Her breathing sounded heavy. "I know. But... most likely, Arthur—I mean, Mr. Shakespeare—will prevent anyone from entering there."
Kairi frowned. "What do you mean?"
Helena looked at me, then back at Kairi. "If Selene intentionally imprisoned herself, then access to that room has been sealed with the Archon Surveillance Protocol. So, anyone who tries to enter will be processed as a high-level violator."
Kairi opened her mouth, about to ask further. But suddenly, her body swayed. Her face was pale, and her hands gripped the edge of the bed as if supporting an invisible weight.
I immediately stood up and held her shoulder. "Selene again, huh?"
She just nodded vaguely.
I sighed. "Why didn’t you say anything? Why did you just leave without any explanation in class earlier?"
My emotions welled up. All of this happened so fast. She saved my sister as if she were a hero, then disappeared without a trace. And now, she’s back with a million mysteries and wounds she won’t explain.
"Azalea... this isn’t the right time. Sis Sele—"
"Sister Selene, Sister Selene, Sister Selene! Don’t you understand how I feel!?"
Kairi fell silent. Her face was downcast, as if swallowing all the pain and guilt in one breath.
I knew. She didn’t not care. She just didn’t know how.
She just didn’t know how to hug someone without first tearing down her own walls.
"Yes... I’m sorry," she said softly. "But just now... Sister Selene told me a lot of things."
I closed my eyes. Took a deep breath. Then nodded.
"Alright. I’ll listen. This time, I’ll really listen."
Silence. The only sounds were the ticking clock in the infirmary and the hum of the magical aid device in the corner of the room. But my mind was noisy.
Kairi continued her explanation. About Mytheia. About the mental transmission from Selene. About the intentionally obscured location of the artifact.
It all felt like a huge puzzle, and Selene was the mastermind. Like a chess game, she deliberately sacrificed the first pawn to lure other pieces.
And for some reason... it all felt like her plan.
* * *
Ahhh, maybe I’m going crazy, huh?
You can really make me like this, hahahahaha~
Selene’s voice echoed in my mind. A voice that didn’t come from outside, but from fragmented transmissions sent through Kairi’s Mytheia.
Somehow, I could hear it too. Or maybe... I was just imagining it.
Selene. Always ambiguous.
Always playing with words as if the world were her grand chessboard.
Kairi... you’re always stubborn. And that makes you weak. But it also keeps you alive. It makes you special. It makes me... hope.
I froze. Her words... so personal. So... human.
Kairi... if I die here, you’re the stupidest elf I’ve ever known. And if you’re still alive... please prove me wrong.
Yes. Wrong about everything about you.
My hands trembled. Not from fear, but from a bitter feeling I couldn’t explain.
Selene, you indeed are now crazy.
Crazy thinking about me, which is hilarious considering we only just met for a day, technically-speaking. However, going by my experience, we’ve spent two seasons of anime series.
I stoid motionless. My eyes were moist. But I wasn’t crying.
No, not that I felt hollow. But rather that I felt a certain relief.
A relief that maybe, just maybe... after what she had been doing to me, I could pay it back and return the favour.
* * *
Kairi stood motionless. Her eyes were moist. But she wasn’t crying.
Not this time.
She just nodded. And for the first time since I knew her, I saw a truly confident face—without pretense. However, it was interrupted by my sis as she began to explain the whole thing.
"If we enter through the west wing," Helena said, "we can pass through the ventilation connector to the technical corridor. But... that path is only open for 15 minutes each cycle."
Kairi nodded. "That’s enough. As long as no one blocks us."
"We still need to be prepared if Arthur knows our plan," I added.
"He knows," Kairi replied quickly. "Trust me. Arthur always knows. But he’s not an enemy... not now."
"Then... who is our real enemy?" I asked slowly.
Kairi looked at me. For a long time. Then answered:
"Fate."
A moment before I parted ways with her, Kairi looked at me one more time.
She moved closer to my face.
"I’m sorry... for everything."
I gave a wry smile. "Okay, I’ll prove that what you’ve done all this time is right, Kairi."
She chuckled softly, then turned away.
A few minutes after Kairi left
I sat alone again. But my mind wasn’t.
My thoughts were with Selene.
Is this all really her plan? Is she really trapping herself to test us? Or... to test Kairi?
Suddenly, the Mytheia in my hand glowed softly.
Whatever happens... only Kairi, Selene, and the gods know.
And this time... I will soon enter that circle of fate.
To the place called...
Circle of Inevitability.
